The hair loss that occurs as a result of male pattern baldness (MPHL) is gradual and does not leave any scars. MPHL has become more common at a younger and younger age. Multiple studies have shown a correlation between eating a Western diet and developing MPHL. Consumption of SSBs and the risk of developing MPHL in young Chinese males was the focus of recent research published in the journal Nutrients.
One’s self-esteem, level of mental anguish, and health all take a hit due to MPHL. Insomnia, anxiety, genes, age, and BMI may all play a role. The growing prevalence of increased sugar in Western diets has been related to the development of MPHL, according to a recent review of the available evidence.
Energy drinks, soda and sweet tea and coffee are all consumed at greater rates among younger people. In the United States, about half of all adults and more than two-thirds of all teenagers regularly partake in the consumption of a sugary or artificially sweetened beverage (SSB). Similarly, in China, SSB consumption is greatest among those aged 13 to 29, making for 22.38% of the total. Tooth decay, obesity, and mental health problems are just some of the difficulties that have been connected to SSB use. There is a lack of epidemiological research on the link between MPHL and SSB use, particularly among the young. Therefore, this link should be verified by other studies.
Methodology/Background Information
This cross-sectional analysis was performed in mainland China between January and April of 2022. There were 1,951 males between the ages of 18 and 45 who were enlisted from a total of 31 states. The data was gathered using an online survey filled out by the participants themselves. The excellent quality of the survey was ensured by the addition of two “attention-check” items. Also, those with scalp infections, cancer, unreasonably detailed physical information, and those who finished the survey in less than 5 minutes were disqualified.
Researchers looked at how often and how much SSBs are consumed in relation to the development of MPHL. Binary logistic regression was utilized by the researchers, who accounted for confounding variables such gender, age, race/ethnicity, education level, smoking history, and body mass index.
Major Results
Researchers found that a high intake of SSB was significantly linked to the development of MPHL. There are several possible direct and indirect processes that might explain this observation. Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) in the scalp is associated with biochemical changes that suggest an overactive polyol pathway may be to blame. Due to their high sugar content, SSBs increase blood sugar levels, which in turn activates the polyol pathway. Because of this, hair follicle keratinocytes in the outer root sheath have less glucose accessible to them, which results in MPHL.
The development of MPHL has been linked to dietary fat, and studies have shown that sugary, high-fat diets are to blame. Mice experiments have shown that this phenomena occurs. Even after accounting for the consumption of oils, fats, and deep-fried foods, the correlation between SSBs and MPHL remained statistically significant. This evidence pointed to SSB being a separate component associated with MPHL. The research also found that chronic illnesses and emotional variables mediated the link between SSB consumption and MPHL.
Significant links between PTSD and MPHL were discovered. However, after PTSD was taken into account, there was no longer a statistically significant link between SSB use and MPHL. Based on these results, it seems that PTSD is a more significant contributor to MPHL than SSB use.
The study’s self-reported data and cross-sectional design are significant caveats. It may be challenging to reliably quantify the temporal and causal associations between MPHL and SSB consumption due to recall bias. Future research should look at the simultaneity problem, or the question of whether SSBs have an effect on MPHL or if MPHL patients consume more SSBs.
In addition, since people with lower levels of education and/or access to the internet were not included in the online poll, sampling bias cannot be ruled out. In addition, there was no differentiation between MPHL severity levels. This is due to the rarity of moderate or severe MPHL, which explains why this is the case.
The study’s findings are just suggestive since no clinical diagnosis of MPHL was made. Last but not least, the study only looked at SSB use and did not include data on the use of any other sweeteners. Thus, it was not possible to accurately predict how much sugar would affect MPHL. For future evidence-based health education, however, it will be necessary to corroborate the results of this study via more longitudinal and interventional research.
